Making Transitions
Smooth transitions between sentences and paragraphs are important to your writing’s flow and continuity. There are at least three ways to create effective transitions in your writing: through word links, topical bridges, and transition words and logical indicators. Use them throughout your writing to develop a coherent, logical essay.
Word Connections and Links
- Use the same key words throughout a piece of writing to build a sense of the work as one argument around a consistent theme. While word variety can be good, stick to a few basic terms so that the reader follows your central topic through your essay.
- Identify your topic in a few key words.
- Vary these terms slightly, using a set of words that are clearly and closely related. For instance, in an article about the President, the writer may refer to the subject as the President of the United States, just the President, and by his name. Readers can tell this is one and the same person.
- Use these words throughout your work, especially in your thesis statement and topic sentences, to highlight your topic and theme.
Example:
Thesis: In her anthropomorphic dogs’ tale, [the author] parodies both our pop-culture attachment to our pets and our own inner evils through her characterization of our dogs as ourselves.
Topic sentence: Portraying the best and worst of human nature through the eyes of dogs, [the author] indulges and ridicules the pop-cultural tendency to view our pets as small, furry people.
Topical Transitions, or ‘Bridges’
Build bridges between sentences and paragraphs by referring to previous or upcoming topics and relating them to your current topic. Bridge the last sentence of one paragraph into the topic sentence of the next to create strong connections between paragraphs.
- Summarize one point and include this summary as part of your next sentence.
- Indicate how it relates or compares to your new topic.
- Use transition words and logical indicators to strengthen the relationship between topics and sentences.
Example:
“… Ultimately, the ‘bulldogs’ — hard-nosed, earnest workers — prevail over the vain, pretentious, and lazy ‘teacups’ of the author’s vision.
Through her vision of a world filled only with dogs, the author parodies humans’ quirks and evils by extending them to their pets. …”
Transition Words and Logical Indicators
Use words from these classes to make explicit connections between ideas. Because these words have very specific logical connotations, make sure that you choose the appropriate word. Improper use of transitions and logical indicators can confuse or even change your meaning.
- Define the relationship between ideas. Do they show cause or effect, contrast, comparison, exemplification,
showing by example or illustration etc.? - Select an appropriate term to express that relationship.
- Incorporate this term into your sentence. Make sure that the ideas you are relating are clear.
- Check your punctuation around the term you chose. Certain transitions and logical indicators are best used after a semi-colon or in the beginning of a sentence and followed by a comma. Others should be offset by a pair of commas.
Transitions based on purpose
Type of Relationship | Example Transitions |
Addition | also, again, in addition, besides, further, furthermore, last, lastly, moreover, next, finally |
Cause | because, for that reason, on account of, since |
Clarification | in other words, that is, to clarify, to explain, to put it another way |
Comparison | in the same way, in like manner, likewise, similarly |
Concession | granted, of course, to be sure |
Effect | accordingly, as a result, consequently, hence, therefore, thus |
Exemplification | as an illustration, for example, for instance, to demonstrate, to illustrate, specifically |
Intensification | certainly, indeed, in fact, surely, so repeat, undoubtedly |
Qualification | almost, always, although, frequently, perhaps, probably |
Place | above, adjacent to, below, beyond, here, nearby, opposite to, there, wherever |
Purpose | for this purpose, in order that, so, so that, to this/that end |
Time | after, afterwards, always, during, following, immediately, in the meantime, meanwhile, never, now, once, simultaneously, sometimes, soon, subsequently, then, while |